Dump basket



United States Patent DUB/E BASKET Harold D. White and Rex E. Childs, Athens, Ga.; dedicated to the Public Application @cteber 4, 1955, Serial No. 533,549

2 Claims. (Cl. 294-71) The patent rights for the United States in any invention in the patent to be granted on this application are dedicated to the Public.

This invention relates to a basket for holding and conveying dressed poultry, especially designed for use in poultry dressing plants, by placing it filled with dressed poultry inside a chilling tank submerged in cold slush to quick chill the poultry.

For a detail description of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which;

Figure 1 is a three dimensioned view of the basket; and

Figure 2 shows a detail of the structure.

The basket comprises an open top container having screen sides of general rectangular configuration with a frame 11 forming the edges of the container. The bottom is closed by a pair of similar doors 12 and 13. Handles 14 and 15 attached to the frame provide means for hoisting the container to an elevated position.

Each door is hinged along its edge, as shown at 17 relative to door 13, to the bottom of the container at opposite sides thereof, the sides of the doors opposite the hinges being adjacent when the doors are closed. The arrangement is such that the doors will swing downwardly by gravity to open the bottom of the container.

A vertical bar 20 is slidingly attached to the container by sliding through a fixed sleeve 21. Rods 22 and 23 link the doors 12 and 13 respectively to the bar 2%. The connections are such that as the bar slides upwardly the doors close and open as the bar slides downwardly. A similar set comprising a bar 25, sleeve 26 and rods 27 and 28 are attached to the container at the end opposite the bar 20.

A conventional spring operated latch 30 carried by the container is arranged to engage a notch 31 in the bar 20 thus to catch the bar for holding the doors in closed position. A hand operated release means such as a lever 32 connected to the latch through linkage 33 may be operated to release the latch so that when the container is elevated the doors will swing open upon operation of the lever and dump the contents of the container. A similar latch 34 and linkage 35 is associated with bar 25. Means are provided for automatically closing each door and catching the latch as the container is lowered to position onto a horizontal resting platform such as a loading platform or the bottom of the chilling tank in which the container is placed. To this end the vertical bar 20 is of such length that in its lower position it extends below the container. As the container is lowered onto the platform the lower end of the bar contacts the platform and slides upwardly relative to the container until the doors are closed and the latch catches.

The basket is simple and convenient to use. It is closed for filling merely by lowering it onto the horizontal platform and is dumped simply by manually operating lever 32.

We claim:

1. A dump basket comprising an open top container, means for hoisting the container to an elevated position, a pair of doors each hinged to the bottom of the container at opposite sides thereof and arranged to swing downwardly by gravity to open the bottom of the container, the sides of the doors opposite the hinges being adjacent when the doors are closed, a bar slidingly attached to the container, a rod linking each door to the bar such that as the bar slides upwardly the doors close and as the bar slides downwardly the doors open, a latch carried by the container arranged to catch the bar and hold it in position with the doors closed, and a hand operated lever for releasing the latch so that when the container is elevated the doors will swing open upon operation of the lever and dump the contents of the container, said vertical bar in its lower position extending below the container so that as the container is lowered to position onto a resting platform the lower end of the bar will contact the platform and slide upwardly relative to the container thus automatically to close the doors and catch the latch as the container is lowered onto the platform.

2. A dump basket comprising an open top container, means for hoisting the container to an elevated position, a door hinged to the container and arranged to swing downwardly by gravity to open the bottom of the container, a vertical bar slidingly attached to the container, a rod linking the door to the bar such that as the bar slides upwardly the door closes and as the bar slides downwardly the door opens, a latch carried by the container arranged to catch the bar and hold it in position with the door closed, and hand operated means for releasing the latch so that when the container is elevated the door will swing open upon operation of the hand operated means and dump the contents of the container, said vertical bar in its lower position extending below the container so that as the container is lowered to position onto a resting platform the lower end of the bar will contact the platform and slide upwardly relative to the container thus automatically to close the door and catch the latch as the container is lowered onto the platform.

References ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

